Veteran journalist Paul Bauman, based in Sacramento, covers Northern California professional, collegiate and junior tennis. Contact him at norcaltennisczar@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @norcaltenczar.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Stanford men, women gain Pac-12 semifinals

The Stanford men and women marched into today's semifinals in the Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, north of Los Angeles.
The No. 2-seeded Cardinal men beat No. 7 Washington 4-2 to continue their best season since 2001. Stanford, ranked fourth, improved to 21-2 with its sixth consecutive victory.
In the semifinals, Stanford will face No. 3 USC, and No. 1 UCLA will meet No. 4 Oregon. The Ducks edged No. 5 Cal 4-3 on Thomas Laurent's 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 victory over Billy Griffith of Fresno on Court 1.
The No. 1-seeded Stanford women whipped No. 8 Washington 4-0 for their 12th consecutive win and 999th in program history.
The 16th-ranked Cardinal (16-3) will play fifth-seeded Washington State, which edged No. 4 Cal 4-3 on Tiffany Mylonas' 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) triumph over Maria Smith on Court 4. Smith survived six match points before succumbing. Cal had led 3-1.
In the other women's semifinal, No. 2 UCLA will meet No. 3 Arizona State.